


It's a Thing

by glaciya



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Bashful Jay, Cuddles, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I hope I got Bizarro's personality and speech right?, Jay has a rough day, Kidnapping, M/M, also he ships jaytim, and Biz just wants to help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-04-01 09:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13995783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glaciya/pseuds/glaciya
Summary: Bizarro sees Jason having a rough day and does the only thing he thinks will make Jay feel better.Or the one where Bizarro ships jaytim.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SociallyAwkwardFox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyAwkwardFox/gifts).



> This is a birthday gift to a wonderful friend of mine, in hopes of making them smile on their special day! :D 
> 
> *If you aren't familiar w/ Biz's nick names, he calls Red Hood- Red-Him, Artemis Red-Her, and pup pup is a little superman plushie Bizarro has. (I THINK I'm not too familiar with Red Hood and the Outlaws)

Jason makes the mistake of thinking he’s alone as he stomps into the safe house, ripping off his helm and jacket as he walks, then kicks off his boots with enough force to put a dent into the wall. He presses his hands against his face hard, muttering several curse words into his palms. 

“Red-Him?” The voice causes Jason to jump. He slides his hands away from his face to see Bizarro peeking out at him over the back of the couch. His body is hunched over like he’s trying to make himself seem small and he’s giving Jason a cautious look that makes the ache already in Jason’s increase. 

“Hey big guy,” he forces a smile onto his face. “Sorry about that. It’s just been a rough night.”

“Oh,” Bizarro nods sagely. “Red-Her okay?”

“Yeah, she’s just finishing everything up.” A brief flash of all the kids they had saved from the underground child labor factory in Detroit goes through his mind. 

He had killed the men who ran it in a blind rage after seeing the starved, and bruised state of the kids imprisoned there. But he hadn’t known that there were kids hiding in the room when he had confronted the slavers, children that had watched him mercilessly kill five men. 

Jason went there to save them, but had only added to their trauma in the end. Afterword, they had been too scared of Jason for him to be any help, so he had to leave while Artemis took care of the rest. 

There’s a rustling sound and suddenly Bizarro is standing in front of him. 

“You need pup-pup?” He lifts the doll up to Jason, an understanding expression on his face. 

“Nah big guy,” Jason gently pushes it back toward Bizarro. “That’s yours. I don’t need it. I just need…” he trails off, unsure of exactly what he it is he wants to say. “I need to sleep it off, I think.” 

He doesn’t think Bizarro believes the lie because he frowns after Jason’s sentence, but he doesn’t press Jason further.

***

Jason’s almost asleep when he hears it. At first it’s faint, so he can’t really make out what it is, but then it keeps getting louder until it sounds like someone is screaming right outside his window. 

Then it’s in the safehouse. 

Then it’s in his  _ room _ . 

Bizarro stands above his bed, grinning happily at Jason while carrying a wiggling lump over his shoulder. Once Jason processes that he’s coming toward the bed with the lump, Jason scrambles for the lamp beside the bed. Jason trusts Bizarro enough not to drop anything dangerous into bed with him...mostly. 

Once the light is on, he turns back to the lump, now laying beside him after being tossed by Biz, to find that it’s-

“What the-Jason,” Tim sputters. “ _ What? _ ”   
  


Jason laughs, mostly out of shock because of the absurdity of the situation rather than humor. Because he never would have expected Tim, completely disheveled with windswept hair and a business suit that probably had been neatly ironed before Bizarro got to him, to be in his bed.

“I don’t see how you think this is funny,” Tim glares at him. “I was in the middle of a work conference Jason, and he,” Tim points accusingly at Bizarro’s still grinning face, “just bursts through the wall and flings me over his shoulder.”

Jason laughs even harder now just at the mental image Tim is giving him. 

“Stop laughing! How am I supposed to explain this to them? And what am I even doing here?”

“That first question sounds like a personal problem,” Jason chuckles, before turning to Bizarro. “But really buddy, you wanna explain to me what’s going on here?”

“Red-Him am sad,” Bizarro says simply. “Need Red-Bird.”

Jason notices Tim staring at him out of his peripheral vision but avoids looking over at him. He feels his cheeks start to darken and tries to will the blush away. He has a feeling he’s not going to like where this conversation is going but has no idea how to escape it. 

“Why me?” Tim asks when Jason doesn’t ask any other questions, his eyes practically boring holes into the side of Jason’s head with the force of his piqued curiosity. 

“Red-Bird am Red-Him’s pup pup.” Bizarro disappears for a moment before blurring back into sight with his Superman plushie in his hand. He holds it up for Tim to see and then hugs it.  

Tim blinks twice. “I don’t understand the comparison.”

“I think there’s just been some sort of misunderstanding,” Jason speaks hurriedly. “The only thing I need right now is some sleep.” He moves to get out of bed but Tim is quicker. He slides his arms around him and tugs Jason back against his chest with surprising strength. 

“That sounds like a personal problem,” his breath tickles Jason’s ear, sending goosebumps down his neck and arms. 

“Me am wrong?” Jason realizes the reason Tim hadn’t wanted him to leave when he looks up and notices the crestfallen expression on Bizarro’s face. 

“No,” Jason sighs, because he can’t stand that look. “I uh, needed Ti-Red-Bird and you brought him to me. Thank you.”

“Me knew Red-Bird could help!” Bizarro perks up. “When Red-Bird around, Red-Him’s chest goes thumpthumpthumpthumpthump-”

“Okay, okay!” Jason’s face feels like it’s been set on fire. “I think we’re good here, big guy.”

“Have fun!” Bizarro giggles happily as he leaves the room.

Tim starts moving immediately after the door closes, but instead of leaving the bed like Jason expects, he kicks off his shoes and unbuttons his dress shirt, shrugging it off so he’s only wearing the black tank top he had on underneath.

“You’re staying?”

“Bizarro said you were upset,” Tim says, coming back close to Jason. “What happened?”

“I’m fine.”

“Sure,” Tim tone implies he doesn’t believe him. “But that’s not what I asked.”

“I…don’t know if I want to talk about it right now.” 

“Okay,” Tim says, surprising Jason. He knows Tim has some of the same quirks as Bruce, and doesn’t usually relent until he gathers every piece of information, but for some reason he lets this one go. He doesn’t get a much of a chance to decipher Tim’s words before Tim speaks again. “Do you want me to leave?”

“You’re a pretty long way from home, and I don’t think Bizarro is going to want to fly you back until he decides I’m better,” Jason shrugs, but Tim doesn’t let him dance around the question.

“I could find a ride if you need to me to.”

Jason frowns at him but Tim just stares back blankly like this situation isn’t completely out of bounds for their relationship. 

“You don’t have to leave,” he finally says. It’s partly out of curiosity to see what Tim will do now and also because Tim being here gives Jason a distraction from what happened earlier. 

Tim loses any tension in his body immediately when Jason gives the okay, settling himself down on his side to look at Jason. He puts up with Jason’s stiffness and uncomfortable fidgeting for less than a minute before he raises a hand to Jason’s chest and uses that strength again to push him down on the mattress. Jason allows it, almost thankful for an excuse to relax. 

“If you tell anyone about this, I’ll kill you,” he says as Tim shuffles closer, until he’s pressed up against Jason’s side. 

Tim grins at him like Jason hasn’t tried to kill him before, or maybe he grins at him  _ because _ Jason has tried to kill him before. And failed. “Go to sleep, Jason.”

***

Jason expects that to be it. But, this time he wakes up to a whispered argument taking place very, very close to him. 

“Listen Biz, in the morning we’re going to have a little discussion about how you should always ask before you kidnap someone.” Tim’s voice is right next to Jason’s ear, and coincides with the warmth of a body curled around his back. He’s quick to notice when Jason isn’t asleep anymore. “Don’t shoot me. Bizarro seemed to think you needed me again.”

Jason opens his eyes and turns to look at Tim, but finds attention isn’t on him. He follows Tim’s gaze and lets out a strangled noise of surprise when he finds Bizarro setting at the foot of his bed, just grinning at them.

“Red-Him have bad dreams. Makes sad noises. Need Red-Bird.”

Jason flushes. “I do not!”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” From anyone else it would sound like a taunt, but Tim’s voice doesn’t hold the heat, or maybe Jason doesn’t take offense because of the fingers Tim has trailing a soothing path along Jason’s stomach. “I got it from here, Biz. Thanks for bringing me to him.”

“This is going to become a thing isn’t it,” Jason whispers after Bizarro leaves them. He’s still wired from nightmares of being buried alive and drowned in vivid green. “The big guy is going to make this be a thing.”

“It’s already a thing,” Tim mumbles into his shoulder. “Anytime you get upset Bizarro is gonna to whatever he can to make you better, and apparently that means stealing me for a few hours to cuddle you because whenever you see me your heart goes-”

“Stop,” Jason moans, silently telling his heart to do the same because it’s been going crazy since he woke up and he knows Tim can probably feel it. “If you’re just here to tease me you can leave.”

“You don’t want me to though,” Tim raises his voice when Jason starts to complain. “Just sleep, Jay. You’re okay.” 

On most nights where Jason dreams of the past he struggles with going back to sleep, usually starting the next day in an exhausted half conscious state until he gets an energy drink in him. But tonight, Jason sleeps soundly with Tim curled up behind him and in the morning he wakes well rested with the echo of Tim’s last two words to him on his mind. 


	2. Chapter 2

Tim isn't sure why he finds himself disappointed each night Bizarro doesn't come for him. He can't really expect every night to be a bad one for Jason, and he doesn't want that for him. 

He tells himself that he had just liked feeling like he was being helpful somehow, and not because some of the best nights of rest he's ever gotten were the ones he spent by Jason’s side. 

He  _ is _ thankful Bizarro had started asking him before picking him up and bringing him to wherever the Outlaws were staying at the time. Every time he passes the new window in the conference room of WE he feels a flush of embarrassment. 

But now it's been two weeks without any word from them, and Tim has to talk himself out of making a fool of himself by calling Jason most nights.

Tonight is not any different, except that he's out gathering intel for a case. It's not as distracting as he hoped it would be when he decided to go out, but at least he’s not alternating between staring at Jason’s number in his phone and pretending to not want to stare at Jason’s number in his phone. He’s still distracted though, which is why he doesn’t notice the woman following him until it’s almost too late. 

He doesn’t hear her land behind him, but he can feel the sudden shift in the air on the back of his neck and rolls away on instincts alone. He manages to avoid a blade shoved through his spine, instead it slices through only skin in a jagged diagonal line from his ribs to his hips. 

The following fight is long and brutal, with both of them dodging moves that could have incapacitated them more than once. It ends when the poison from the assassin’s blade finally kicks in and Tim falls to the ground. The assassin watches him with a satisfied gleam in her eye.

He wakes up on a couch in what looks to be a motel room with Ra’s leaning over him and promptly decides that there are worse things than spending the evening safe in his penthouse, staring at his phone. 

“Detective,” Ra’s greets, like they’re old work colleagues. Tim supposes that they are, in a way. 

“Ra’s,” Tim sighs. He swallows twice around the dryness in his mouth. “You know could just call if you wanted to see me.”

“You changed your number.”

“And kidnapping me was the solution, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Ra’s smirks. It’s the same smirk he uses whenever he feels accomplished. It’s never failed to make Tim a bit queasy, and today is no different. “You’ve been digging around in Ivan Torinski’s business affairs.”

Tim frowns. “You know Torinski?”

“He’s a business associate of mine, yes.” 

“So then you know he’s responsible for the deaths of three wives in the past decade.” Tim moves into a sitting position, fighting to keep his face blank as he fights off a wave of dizziness. The change puts him closer to Ra’s, which is less than ideal, but at least they’re eye to eye now.

“The authorities were never able to build solid evidence against them,” Ra’s waves his hand in a dismissive gesture. 

“That’s why I got involved,” Tim says, irritated. “To do what they couldn’t. Or wouldn’t, since I discovered a lot of them had been paid off.”

Ra’s shakes his head sadly. “I really wish you hadn’t gotten involved. I liked you, detective. That’s why I came to Gotham personally to deal with you.”

Tim is more relieved to hear that he hasn’t been taken far from home than he is worried by the actual threat in Ra’s’ words. Still…

“I suppose I should be flattered,” Tim says coolly. He eyes the sword hanging casually in Ra’s hand and feels very vulnerable when he realizes Ra’s took his utility belt and staff. 

Ra’s’ sword arm tenses and Tim stands, but before either of them can make a move, something crashes through the wall to their right and into Ra’s. 

Tim ducks to avoid the debris, and scrambles back up again as soon as the building stops crumbling around him. Through the cloud of dust, he can make the shadow of a large hulking figure marching toward him. 

In brief panic he tries to move silently backwards to get out of its path. It speeds up, moving directly towards him and scooping him in its arms before he has time to suck in a startled breath. 

“Red-Bird am saved!” Bizarro’s cheery voice washes through Tim's panic like a tidal wave, leaving him nearly sagging in Biz’s arms in full damsel mode.

“You scared the crap out of me!” Tim tightens his grip when Bizarro crouches, knowing he's about to leap into the air. It's an instinctive move, even though he knows Bizarro would never drop him...on purpose. And if he did he'd make sure to catch Tim before he hit the ground. 

“Me am more scary than Razor Ghoul?” Bizarro sounds bemused as he flies away from the now ruined building Ra’s had been holding him in. 

“You could be if you wanted to,” Tim says, thankful for Bizarro’s good hearing so he doesn't have to try to shout over the wind. He presses his face close to Bizarro’s chest to protect his face as they start to pick up speed. Because of this he can feel the vibration of Bizarro’s thoughtful hum. 

“Don't wanna be scary,” he decides eventually. 

“Well you don't have to be,” Tim says.

He's surprised when Bizarro slows down enough to land fly toward the open window of a building while they're still in Gotham. And even more surprised when he realizes it's one of his own sparsely used safe houses. 

The building used to be an old fire station but Tim had bought it out to help pay for the city to build a newer, bigger station closer to the center of the city. On the outside, he kept it looking the same. But on the inside he had remodeled quite a bit, adding secret weapons stashes, hidden computer systems, and even a med bay close to the size of the one in the bat cave. 

“How did you…” Tim trails off, unsure of what he even wants to ask. How did Bizarro figure out how to get past his security to get in? How did Bizarro know this place was even one of his safe houses?

Bizarro doesn't need him to clarify though. “Red-Him keeps track of Red-Bird,” he says in a low voice as they land inside. 

“He does?” Tim asks, matching Bizarro's quiet tone unconsciously. “I wonder why.”

Bizarro snorts. “Me wonder.” 

Tim frowns at Bizarro’s sarcastic words, but falls short upon asking about it when they enter the loft area and Tim sees Jason himself sitting on a leather sofa that was left behind by the firemen, head tilted back and mouth open as he softly snores. Tim understands now why they're here and why Bizarro had wanted to keep quiet.

“Okay big guy,” he whispers. “You can put me down now.” 

“Me don't think so,” Bizarro says, and continues marching them toward Jason. 

“No wait-” The objection twists into a startled cry from Tim as he's dropped into Jason's lap. His cry is echoed by Jason who seems to grip Tim tighter against him by instinct, instead of shoving him to the floor, like Tim had been expecting.

“Tim?” Jason blinks at him before turning his attention around the room. His face takes on an expression that’s a mix of resigned and amused when he spots Bizarro. 

“Explain,” Jason says.  _ He’s trying to sound stern, _ Tim thinks as he looks back and forth between the two other men in the room.  _ And failing, _ he adds silently upon seeing Bizarro grin unapologetically. 

“Red-Bird am pup-pup."

“But I wasn’t sad or anything. We were literally just playing video games before you suddenly picked me up, flew me here, and told me to wait,” Jason says, bemused. 

Bizarro gives him a pitying look. “It am not always about Red-Him.”

Jason opens his mouth, closes it, then turns his attention to Tim. “What happened?”

“I accidentally caught Ra’s al Ghul’s eye...again,” Tim shrugs. “Bizarro smashed him into a wall before anything interesting happened though,” he looks at Bizarro before adding, “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“Red-Bird am welcome,” Bizarro says, turning back to the window. “Me am taking me leave now so Red-Bird can get Red-Him’s comfort.” And then he’s gone, having done what he wanted to do for the night.

With Bizarro gone, there’s nothing to distract Tim from the fact the he is very much sitting in Jason’s lap right now. But he can’t act like he wants to get off, can’t ignore the fact that Jason hasn’t pushed him away. 

Jason clears his throat. “Nice place.”

Tim would call him out on such an awkward attempt of conversation, but he’s sure he wouldn’t have been able to come up with something better. “Thanks. I’ve even got one of those pole things the firemen slide down in the back.”

“Seriously?” Jason asks, excited. “Can I slide down it?”

Tim gets a sudden flash of Jason’s thighs wrapped around the silver pole, of his biceps flexing as he supports his own weight and barely stops himself from adding a please whenever he agrees.

Tim takes his time showing Jason around his safe house, trying not to preen at Jason’s blatant interest in the remodeling he’s done and the gadgets he has lying around. He saves showing Jason the pole for last, knowing it’ll be a favorite for both of them.

Turns out, Jason sliding down the pole is better than Tim imagined. He hadn’t even thought of how young Jason’s eager smile would make him look, or what his delighted laugh as he landed would sound like. And then there was his ass... 

After Jason knows every nook and cranny of Tim’s safe house like it was his own, Tim brings them into the kitchen to make them both hot chocolate. 

“Pretty cool, huh?” Tim says as he sits a mug in front of Jason and takes a seat at the table next to him.

“Mhm,” Jason shrugs like he hasn’t spent the last twenty minutes gushing over Tim’s things. “My place in Gotham is cooler though.”

“Cooler than a remodeled firehouse?” Tim scoffs. “What could be cooler than that?” _ A lot of things actually _ , he thinks. He isn’t going to tell Jason that though.

“Think invisible floating fortress in the sky cool.”

“No way,” Tim starts to laugh, then stops. “Wait, you’re serious.”

Jason takes a sip from his mug around a self satisfied smile. “I’ll have to show it to you sometime.”

Tim swallows a large burning gulp from his own mug to gather courage before saying, “It’s a date then.” And the smile Jason gives him in return mirrors the one he made while sliding down the fireman's’ pole earlier. 

Jason doesn’t have to ask to know he can stay the night and Tim doesn’t have to ask to know Jason will be sleeping with him in his bed. 

And whatever this thing of theirs is, this thing that Bizarro saw before either of them, Tim can tell neither of them want it to end. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had plans for this to be longer but after rereading the first two chapters I felt like short and sweet was the way to go with this one :) I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. We all need a fic that's just 99.9% fluff sometimes <33

Tim has mustard from his hotdog smeared across his cheek, but he’s too distracted by Biz and Kon’s play fight to notice. Jason doesn’t blame him. Seeing two scientifically engineered replicas of Superman go at it is pretty impressive, but that doesn’t mean Jason’s going to be the one to tell Tim. He’ll discover it on his own sooner or later. 

It’ll likely be later, Jason thinks while watching Tim grin around his straw. It’s a little unfair, how Tim can be just as captivating when he’s a mess as he is dressed in an expensive suit and tie. When Tim catches his eye, his smile softens and Jason hopes that means his has his own effect on Tim, even if it’s only a little. A choked noise draws his attention back to the fight and he finds that Biz has successfully pinned Kon in a choke hold and is grinning happily while he squeezes. 

“Should we stop them,” Jason says when Kon’s face starts to turn red. Bizarro will let go if Kon taps out, but just from what Jason knows about Kon so far, he has a feeling Kon will be too proud to admit defeat before he passes out. 

“Maybe,” Tim says, taking another bite of his hotdog. He does nothing to put an end to his friends suffering. He even seems amused by it. 

Jason rolls his eyes. “Hey Biz, remember to be gentle buddy.”

Bizarro lets go of Kon immediately and Kon falls to the ground. A laugh comes with his first steady exhale so Jason figures he’s alright.

“Did me go too far?” Bizzarro reaches down to help pull Kon to his feet, a concerned frown now decorating his face. 

“Nah you just caught me by surprise is all,” Kon says with a fierce grin. “I’m not used to sparring with someone that matches me in strength like you do. It was fun.”

“It am fun!” Bizarro grins happily. “Go again?” And just like that, they’re colliding again. 

Beside him, Tim shifts to bump into his shoulder. “Worry wort,” he says. 

“You have mustard on your face,” Jason says, laughing when Tim swipes at the wrong cheek on the first try. 

Artemis and Bart walk past them then, sitting down a little ways away with their own plates of food. They’re still discussing whether or not Bart could out run Mistress if Artemis threw it as hard as she could. They’re planning on testing it out after their food settles. 

Sitting on the rooftop of the Outlaw base, surrounded by some of his most favorite people, on a rare relatively crime free evening in Gotham, during his third official date with Tim, Jason feels at peace. It’s the first time his friends and Tim’s have met and seeing them hit it off sends a happy warmth through Jason for reasons he can’t really explain. 

“Everyone seems to be having a good time,” Tim says, as if he’s read Jason’s mind. “I’m not even surprised that Bizarro knew it’d be a good idea to get everyone together.”

“I’m just happy he asked and didn’t try to kidnap anyone this time,” Jason says. In front of them, Bizarro giggles happily as Kon tosses him into the air. 

“He told me you missed me when he came by the tower, you know.” 

Jason flushes at Tim’s words and the smirk on his face, but instead of denying it he just shrugs and says, “Yeah, so?”

Tim must not have been expecting that response, because his eyes widen and his cheeks light up red. “Nothing. I just-I mean, I missed you too.”

Jason smiles and reaches for Tim’s hand. “Are you staying the night tonight?” 

He’s thankful they’ve reached a point in their relationship that he can ask for things like this so casually, thankful that he knows by now Tim will usually say yes unless work or a case are taking up too much of his time. So when Tim nods and squeezes his hand, it’s expected, but that doesn’t mean the familiar wave of happiness the comes along every time he has a night with Tim to look forward isn’t present. 

And when he catches Bizarro giving him a thumbs up, that’s expected too. Because Bizarro knew about this thing of theirs called love from the beginning, and has been impatiently nudging the two of them in the right direction all along. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked this, feel free to leave a comment and/or a kudos and if you want to check out my Tumblr where I post previews for upcoming fics you can check that out here:   
> [Glaciya](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/glaciya)


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